FEBRUARY 15, 1916 



BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTHWEST 



Louis H. Scholl, New Braunfels, Texas 



EHj TAKING OFF HONEY IN MIDWINTER. 

 Pi Yesterday, Jan. 21, our men 

 _J went to two of our outyards to 

 M take off a load of honey. Wlio 

 ^m would think of doing such a thing 

 iJI in the very midst of winter? Yet 

 we do precisely such a thing, a 

 practice followed for several years, tried 

 out pretty thoroly now, and without finding 

 any ill etfects as a consequence. A year 

 ago there was not a month during which we 

 did not take off surplus honey. The same 

 is true of last year's crop, a good deal of 

 which is still on the hives, while some is in 

 storage. Orders are being filled every week, 

 quite large ones sometimes, and we must 

 have a supply of honey to fill them with. 



While we found it a good plan to keep 

 our supers of comb honey, just as they 

 come from the hives, in a warm basement 

 specially heated for the purjoose, it requires 

 a good deal of extra effort and expense in 

 double handling and fuel. We also found 

 that, with our comparatively mild winters, 

 it does not do any harm, apparently, to the 

 colonies to keep these supers for us until 

 we need them. Of course, every effort is 

 made earlier in the season to prevent too 

 many supers remaining on any one colony. 

 One or two is tlie usual number that we 

 believe the colony can keep moderately 

 warm from its cluster below, while more 

 than this might result in the honey in the 

 upper ones gTanulating sooner or later in 

 the winter months. 



When the honey supers are removed from 

 the top of the hive on the moderately wai-m 

 days in our southern winters there seems to 

 I'esult no actual harm to the colony. The 

 bees usually fly on such days — in fact, are 

 often out hustling pollen, and sometimes 

 even nectar from the scattering sources 

 then at hand, and the disturbance is not 

 serious. Indeed, the writer has. upon two 

 occasions, been along to take off some of 

 the uppermost supers during quite cool 

 weather when the inmates were clustered in 

 the brood-chamber below, and seemed not 

 to be disturbed in the least except from 

 the jarring of the hive. 



BETTER FOUL-BROOD INSPECTION. 



Professor Pattock, State Entomologist, 

 College Station, Texas, in charge of the 

 Texas foul-brood-inspection work, has re- 

 cently made an extensive trip thru south- 

 west Texas, looking into the foul-brood sit- 

 uation at various points. Prof. Pattock is 

 very enthusiastic about this work for the 



beekeepers' interest, and is seeking their 

 earnest support. This should certainly be 

 forthcoming from every beekeeper in Texas. 



The question that has arisen among a 

 number of beekeepers that I have come in 

 touch with lately is whether we are really 

 operating under an efficient plan of inspec- 

 tion and eradication work, or whether some 

 better plan might be adopted that would 

 give better results. On account of the great 

 area covered by the state it was found quite 

 difficult indeed to carry out the plan of a 

 single state inspector as in many other 

 states. While this was tried out in the 

 beginning it was soon found advantageous 

 to have a number of deputy inspectors, at 

 least in the greater infected districts. Then 

 the county-inspector system of carrying on 

 the work was adopted, and is the plan un- 

 der which the work is done at the present 

 time. The county inspectors are recom- 

 mended by the state entomologist for ap- 

 pointment by the local or county beekeep- 

 ers' association. The organization of each 

 county where the disease may prevail, and 

 the prompt selection of an inspector, is 

 therefore encouraged. Even counties ad- 

 joining those where infestation exists should 

 organize and have a local inspector to 

 guard against any outbreak. 



The doubt existing in the minds of a 

 number of well-posted beekeepers is that 

 of a probability of inefficient men finding 

 their way into these positions on account of 

 a certain " pull " or influence they may 

 have in their home county. 



Again, it has been asserted that a queen- 

 breeder, supply-dealer, or even an extensive 

 honey-producer, thus using his influence 

 and getting the position as foul-brood in- 

 spector, might find it to his interest, on 

 account of the fear that the publicity of the 

 presence of the disease in his locality might 

 hurt his business, to suppress the fact that 

 it does prevail, to the detriment not only of 

 the beekeepers in that county but the in- 

 dustry at large. 



In other instances it has been exceedingly 

 difficult to obtain good men for the place 

 because those well qualified could not serve, 

 and the work finally fell upon pei-sons en- 

 tirely unfit for the position. While there 

 are excellent county inspectors, there have 

 also been some very poor ones ; and the 

 question is, " How can we overcome these 

 objections"?" From those who are capable 

 of giving proper advice on this subject I 

 should be glad to have suggestions. 



